Many parents have the same questions when they first encounter Vojta therapy:
"Why does my baby cry as soon as the therapy starts?"
"Is it uncomfortable?"
"Should we continue even if they cry like this?"
In fact, crying is a very common phenomenon during Vojta therapy, but crying does not equate to pain. The core goal of Vojta therapy is not to train muscle strength, but to awaken the motor control networks that already exist in the brain and central nervous system through specific postures and stimulation points. This triggers postural control and movement patterns that the child cannot easily perform voluntarily.
Because the therapy process requires restricting certain degrees of freedom in the body and changing the child's habitual movement strategies, many infants and toddlers cry to express their emotions due to losing their familiar ways of moving, experiencing novelty, or being unable to understand the purpose of the therapy. Therefore, crying often reflects an emotional response and the nervous system facing a new sensory-motor challenge, rather than necessarily indicating pain or harm.
What is Vojta? The "Reset Button" When the Brain Freezes
Vojta therapy is a neurodevelopmental treatment method developed by Czech neurologist Dr. Vaclav Vojta in the 1950s.
Generally, when we want to reach for something, roll over, or walk, the brain actively sends commands to coordinate muscles throughout the body to complete the movement. However, for children with cerebral palsy, premature brain injuries, or neurodevelopmental delays, the transmission of messages between the brain and the body is sometimes not smooth. As a result, the child may know what they want to do but cannot efficiently control their body to complete the action.
Dr. Vojta discovered that the human body is naturally equipped with many neural networks related to postural control, rolling, and movement. Through specific postural positioning and precise stimulation in certain areas of the body, these deep motor responses can be elicited, allowing the nervous system to re-experience a more efficient way of organizing movement.
Therefore, Vojta therapy is not simply about training muscle strength; it aims to help the brain build better body control abilities by repeatedly providing correct sensory and motor experiences.
Two Important Movement Patterns in Vojta Therapy
During the therapy process, you will see the physical therapist repeatedly facilitating two core reflex movement patterns. This is definitely not random stretching, but rather building the two pillars of human upright walking:
1. Reflex Rolling
This involves a continuous movement starting from supine (lying on the back), transitioning to side-lying, and finally reaching a quadruped position. When the therapist stimulates specific rib areas on the chest, you can observe a child who is usually floppy suddenly start to actively twist their spine and lift their legs against gravity.
Clinical Significance: It greatly strengthens the stability of the central trunk (anti-gravity extension) and integrates the symmetrical coordination of the left and right brain. For children whose heads fall back or who have difficulty rolling over, this is a very important developmental starting point.
2. Reflex Creeping
When the child is in a prone position, the therapist uses specific stimulation to guide the body to exhibit a diagonal coordination pattern similar to crawling, such as the left hand and right foot, and the right hand and left foot alternating in the movement.
This ability to coordinate across both sides of the body is closely related to future crawling, standing, walking, and balance control.
At the same time, the creeping pattern can help the child learn to use their trunk and limbs more efficiently, reducing excessive stiffness or unnecessary effort.
Clinical Significance: Reflex creeping can break abnormal high-tone patterns such as "scissoring" or "general rigidity" caused by brain injuries, allowing the limbs to learn to rotate independently. At the same time, it can elicit deep breathing, which is highly beneficial for expanding lung function.
Vojta therapy is a treatment method centered on nervous system activation and postural control. Current systematic reviews indicate that it has potential benefits for improving motor function in children with neurodevelopmental disorders, but more high-quality research is needed for further validation (Sánchez-González et al., 2024).
Q1: Why do babies often cry during Vojta therapy?
This is perhaps the most frequently asked question by parents and the most distressing moment for them.
First, it is important to understand:
Crying does not necessarily mean pain.
In many cases, the reasons for a child's crying may come from the following aspects:
1. Natural response to unfamiliar experiences
During therapy, the child needs to maintain postures that rarely occur in daily life and will receive new bodily sensations. This unfamiliarity can cause anxiety for infants and toddlers, so they express their emotions through crying.
2. Restricted freedom of movement
During the therapy process, the therapist needs to help the child maintain specific postures to elicit motor responses. For a child who loves to explore the environment and move freely, having their movements restricted can itself cause frustration.
3. The nervous system is working hard
When a child tries to use muscles and movement patterns that are rarely used in daily life, just like adults starting a new exercise routine, it requires a considerable amount of concentration and physical energy. Therefore, they are prone to fatigue, irritability, or emotional reactions.
As therapists, we continuously observe the child's breathing, skin color, muscle responses, and overall condition during the therapy to ensure the child remains within a safe and acceptable range.
Q2: Can I perform Vojta therapy at home by myself?
Many parents want to make the most of their daily time with their child, so they wonder if they can practice at home.
In fact, Vojta therapy does place great emphasis on family participation, but the prerequisite is that it must follow a comprehensive assessment and guidance from a professional physical therapist.
Because each child's neurodevelopmental status, muscle tone presentation, and stimulation points are different, the location, direction, angle, and duration of stimulation all require precise adjustment.
Therefore, if parents wish to perform related exercises at home, it is recommended to follow the physical therapist's individualized guidance to ensure both safety and therapeutic effectiveness.
Every child's developmental journey is different.Vojta therapy is not about making the child immediately learn a specific movement; rather, it hopes to help the brain re-establish a more efficient connection with the body, so that the child can have a more stable and higher-quality motor foundation for future rolling, sitting, crawling, standing, and walking.There may be tears and challenges during the therapy process, but every subtle progress is a trace of the nervous system's learning and growth.
At Compass Physiotherapy, we believe that developmental therapy is not just about training the child; it is about accompanying the whole family to understand and support the child, and to see the value behind every step of growth..
References
- Sánchez-González JL, et al. (2024). Critical review of the evidence for Vojta Therapy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Neurology.
- Ha SY, Sung YH. (2024). Stimulus zones of Vojta method and trunk control in children with spastic-type cerebral palsy: A quasi-experimental pilot study. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies.
- Novak I, et al. (2017). Early, Accurate Diagnosis and Early Intervention in Cerebral Palsy: Advances in Diagnosis and Treatment. JAMA Pediatrics, 171(9), 897–907.